As far as sleep goes, last night was really bad. My feet were in so much pain. No matter what position I lay in it was agony. Although I did find a position for the last few hours. I suspect this only worked because one of my big blistered “emptied”. I can only apologise to the support team of Carlton and Deb for the turning, snoring and moans and groans during the night. The early strategy today was to run 10 miles then stop for breakfast. You can see in the image below what a state I was in.
It was very cool when I set off from near Grantville. The mileage deficit of 2 miles was soon gone and I couldn’t believe how well I was running. A passing school bus cheered and waved near Skyline View. It was a real morale booster.
By the time I got to the 10 mile point the temperature had increased considerably. I met the team for porridge and an omelette expertly cooked by Carlton.
We shared a few laughs and the picture below is in stark contrast to the first one above.
The next section was 11.5 miles. There was a lot of stop/start traffic and the sun beating down made life very difficult.
I ran through Harrisburg which is the biggest place I’ve seen since Manhattan.
I stopped at the other side of the river to do a Facebook Live on the Run Geordie Run page. That was outside a place called Tequila Willies. I’m trying to do one of those per day at 7pm (BST).
I met the team again in a supermarket car park at the 21 mile point. I was exhausted and very warm. One quick tactical snooze and a chicken wrap and I was on my way for the final session of the day through Mechanicsburg. There was a car accident which meant the traffic was slow around me for a good while.
The final 11 miles of the day were brutal in the heat and traffic. I eventually left the busy roads behind and found myself on a nice rolling country road.
I reached the final meeting point at 31.8 miles just as it was getting dark. That was really pleasing. It had been a tough old day with the 200 mile barrier smashed earlier. A total of 215 miles have been ran. The run is in a 4 mile deficit versus my plan which I’ll claw back over the next 7 days. The run is in a 7 mile deficit when you think about 3200 miles in 100 days. That is intentional.
I’ve got to give a mention to the care and consideration that I’ve been afforded by drivers in the 3 states I’ve ran through so far. There’s a real sense of me as a pedestrian having some right of way when safe to do so. I feel quite safe on the roads so far. I’ll never waiver from my usual high standard of concentration mind you.
So the penultimate twist of the day is that the RV has lost coach battery power. This means that the smoke/gas alarm is beeping periodically and the lights don’t work. We don’t use them often. It may be something to do with the roof leaking through one of the lights during the recent torrential rain spells we’ve had.
Fortunately, there is a branch of the RV hire company in Carlisle which is near today’s end point. The plan is to get me out running for 0630 and then the team will deal with the RV company. I’m happy to run unsupported for many hours so time is on their side.
The final twist of the day is that my wife Donna, back at “Mission Control” in the UK, receives a copy of my blog to upload before she goes to work each morning. So this will be the first she knows of the RV predicament. (!!!!)
The final thing for me to do before I attempt to get 7 hours of sleep is to thank everyone who has sponsored me in aid of St. Benedict’s Hospice over at https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025.
The current total is £15,554.18. Fantastic.
TUNE OF THE DAY: I can see for miles - The WHO
